Freestyle 101: Meeno + Dame Grease

Dame Grease has been producing hits for hip hop heavyweights for a decade or so now, and knows a thing or two about dope MCs. After helming bangers for the likes of DMX, Lox, Nas, N.O.R.E., Freeway, Common, Mase, Mary J. Blige and more, Dame decided to start his own label and launch his new roster of artists via the compilation album, Goon Musik. One of the standout Goons is a fiery New York MC named Meeno. Dame was kind enough to bring Meeno by Play Studios to let him show off his spittin’ skills over a cookin' R.N.S. beat and chat about the art of the rhyme (Dame even reveals that some of DMX biggest hits started as freestyles!).

Born and raised in the Lennox Ave section of the Big Apple, Meeno came up alongside MCs like Big L and Killa Cam, and even battled Mase’s Children of the Corn crew with his own N.I.B clique back in the day. The two MCs came out friends and Mase made Meeno a member of his Harlem World group a few years later, who signed to Bad Boy and made one album before Mase retired from the music biz for a few years. Dame featured him on his Vacant Lot Present scompilation in 1999, and the duo started working on Meeno’s long-awaited upcoming solo debut. In the meantime, peep him on Goon Musik.